Paddock Wood Toad Patrol Survey Results for 2016

A bit of a delay in writing new posts, due to a holiday and other wildlife activities away from Paddock Wood but here is a summary of the Toad Patrol activity this year in Paddock Wood.

Introduction

This was the fourth year of the recently revamped Paddock Wood Toad Patrols, restarted in 2013 and could not have happened without the dedicated support of local residents interested in ‘doing their bit’ to save local wildlife.

Collecting toads by the bucket load !

The Main Facts for 2016

• ·         Patrol Period : 21 Feb – 15 March
• ·         Number of volunteers helping this year : 10
• ·         Main roads for encountering Toads:  Kiln Way, with a few along Ashcroft Rd & The Bines.
• ·         Main problem for the toads : Gully Pots!
• ·         Toads ‘saved’ for the period of the patrols = 82, Toads killed on the roads = 33.
• ·         Best dates for seeing toads on roads :  21, 22 Feb & 01, 09, 10  March.
• ·         Best nights for breeding in the Putland Ponds : Tuesday 23 Feb (261 toads, inc 61 pairs) & Tuesday 01st March (343 toads, inc 32 pairs).

Summary of Toad Patrol Figures for the Roads

Dates	Toads		Frogs		Newts
******	Helped	Killed	Helped	Killed	Helped	Killed
21/02/16	9	4	-	-	-	-
22/02/16	14	5	3	0	2	0
23/02/16	3	1	-	-	-	-
24/02/16	0	0	0	0	0	0
Too Cold	In the	intervening	period	no	sightings
01/03/16	11	8	1	2	0	0
02/03/16	0	0	0	0	0	0
03/03/16	2	3	0	0	0	0
04/03/16	5	0	0	0	0	0
05 & 06	0	0	0	0	0	0
07/03/16	0	6	2	0	0	0
08/03/16	2	2	1	1	0	0
09/03/16	19	3	4	0	0	0
10/03/16	11	0	0	0	0	0
11/03/16	3	1	0	0	0	0
13/03/16	2	0	0	0	0	0
15/03/16	1	0	0	0	0	0
20/03/16	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	82	33	4	2	2	0

Summary of Pond Survey figures for Toads

Date	Male	Female	Pairs	Total
21 Feb	155	0	15	185
23 Feb	139	0	61	261
01 March	274	5	32	343
08 March	26	0	1	28
15 March	21	1	1	24

Conclusions

As is becoming apparent the longer we conduct the toad patrols, the usual cold period ( this year 25 Feb – 08 March) interrupted the toad breeding season. However, Paddock Wood once again still managed to be about 7  days ahead of the other Toad Patrol peaks across Kent. Possibly this is caused by being a warmer urban site ?

Toads rescued this year totaled 88, the numbers seen killed on the roads was 33. So again we kept the number of toads killed down to a much lower number than if the toad patrol did not exist. 

Toads on the edge of a sudden drop !

As in previous years gully pot rescues are our biggest success. A count of the gully pots shows that for every night toad patrollers were out, 60 gully pots were being inspected. So over the patrol period 1080 gully pot inspections were made !  Toting up previous year’s figures and adding on this year’s results, since 2013 we have rescued 405 toads, mainly from the roadside gully pots.

Toad breeding was surprisingly early this year and once took place in the main Putland pond (near the bowls club). Breeding seems to have peaked around the 22/23/24 February, with a second smaller peak on the sole warm night of 01^st March, during the cold spell. The numbers counted were lower than previous years, but may be due to a breeding period which was spread out, as a result of the colder period of weather. What was odd was that the toads were breeding about a week before the frogs this year. Its normally the other way around ! Additionally the smaller pond at Putlands was hardly used by frogs or toads, whereas in previous years this pond is the main pond for frog activity. I wonder if the removal of the fish from the main Putland pond this winter has resulted in greater frog breeding in this pond this year?

Thank You &  gully pot safety

I would like to thank everyone who helped support the toad patrol this year. I know it’s not as glamorous as ‘TV wildlife’ but it is vitally important to monitor toad numbers and contribute to the national understanding of why toad numbers continue to decline.

*** Stop Press *** Stop Press****

How to reduce the number of toads, frogs & newts falling 

down roadside gully pots ?

There is a simple and cheap solution to this problem. Install wildlife friendly kerb stones as shown below. The amphibians follow the curve in the kerb stone and this reduces the chances of them falling down the gully pots. I will be contacting Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to see if these can be made mandatory for any new estate roads built in the town over the coming years.

A wildlife friendly kerb stone from www.aco.co.uk

Frog & toad spawn seen for the first time

Toad Activity

The last week (29 Feb - 6th March) has continued cold, with the exception of Tuesday 1st March, which was wet and mild.

The toads generally stayed where they were and only moved on Tuesday night, whereupon 8 were turned into 'toad pancakes' in Kiln Way, Ashcroft Road, Chaffinch Way & Linnet Avenue. Squashed flat as they attempted to cross these estate roads :-(.

Meanwhile down at the main pond in Putlands, 343 toads were seen on Tuesday night (1st March). The good news was that we also found some toad spawn, which had probably been laid the previous Tuesday night (23rd Feb), when it was also mild and wet.

Strands of toad spawn

The next few days are also expected to be cold, before it warms up at the end of the week. I am therefore expecting a second period of toad activity and breeding at the end of the week.

Frog Activity

Oddly the frogs seem to be breeding later than the toads this year. It is usually the other way around, with the frogs in Putland breeding about 10 days ahead of the toads, but not this year.

There is frog spawn in the Putland ponds, but not in great amounts so far. It could be that a late surge will happen later this week.

A clump of frog spawn

Foal Hurst Wood Frogs

At the other end of the town, in the local nature reserve, the frogs using the wetland pond, in the middle of the wood have produced about 80 clumps of frogspawn, which is in line with previous years figures. No toad spawn has been seen, for toads prefer to breed in larger ponds and lakes.

Recording breeding success

Viewing the two pictures of toad and frog spawn above, you can see the two amphibian species are using different methods to deposit their spawn in the water. Toads warp the strands of spawn around vegetation, whilst frog allow the clump of frog spawn to float freely on the surface. Finding frog spawn is much easier than toad spawn and for this reason, when recording breeding activity for these two amphibian species, different methods are used.

With frogs each clump of frogspawn represents one female frog's annual egg production. So 80 clumps = 80 breeding females. Sounds easy doesn't it ?  Try counting the clumps in the next photo !

When clumps become a solid mass !!!

Toads are much easier, all you have to do is count the courting couples, unless the female is grabbed by several males, then its just as difficult !

A toad ball. There is a female in there somewhere !

What about the other main amphibian group, newts? Well that requires a whole new post at a later date :-).